'Silent Witness' Reveals New Characters As Season 29 Greenlit
David Caves as Jack Hodgson and Emilia Fox as Dr. Nikki Alexander in 'Silent Witness' Season 29
BBC
The BBC became the first company to broadcast television programs regularly in 1936, and like everything else the British do, it made sure to create some heirlooms along the way. The BBC's oldest series, The Lord Mayor's Show, launched less than a year later, and 88 years later, it's still broadcast today. The same goes for Panorama, the world's longest-running current affairs show at 71 seasons, The Sky at Night, the world's longest-running science series, and Blue Peter, which is old enough to be the great grandparent of its viewership. The BBC also has the longest-running non-soap opera drama series, Silent Witness, which recently extended its record with a commission for Season 29.
Initially launched in 1996 as part of the "forensic psychology" subset of crime-of-the-week dramas, Silent Witness was one of the earliest shows on the BBC to be created by a former policeman, Nigel McCrery, who retired from Nottingham's detective squad. The series was initially a vehicle for actor Amanda Burton as Dr. Sam Ryan, who starred in the show's first eight seasons. When she decided to move on, the producers reconfigured Silent Witness into an ensemble series led by supporting characters Dr. Harry Cunningham (Tom Ward) and Dr. Leo Dalton (William Gaminara). The series also added Emilia Fox to fill Dr. Ryan's spot as Dr. Nikki Alexander.
Ward lasted through Season 14, with David Caves hired to fill his spot as Dr. Jack Hodgson. Within two seasons, the show had found its chemical magic, and Gaminara exited, leaving Fox and Caves as the Brit's answer to Moonlighting. The show then morphed into more of a Bones romance and, with the most recent season, a legit love story.
Season 28 will once again consist of ten installments made up of five two-part cases. Thus far, the BBC has only revealed the synopsis for the first mystery, which explains how the new additions for the season will come into Nikki and Jack's orbit:
The new series opens with a disturbing mystery, when the death of an elderly woman found in a cave has the team asking what drives a person to murder someone so vulnerable, and two new faces join the investigation.
This season's additions include Maggie Steed (Rivals), who will play the new Head of The Lyell Centre, Harriet Maven. The other, Francesca Mills (The Witcher: Blood Origin), plays Crime Analyst Kit Brooks, who has worked with Jack previously. Steed enthused, “I was delighted to be asked to join Silent Witness. I’ve enjoyed it many times over the years, and it’s always been the most intriguing and entertaining series going, so it’s been a thrill to join.” The press release notably does not mention the return of Season 27's ensemble who joined Fox and Caves last season: Alastair Michael (as Velvy Schur), Aki Omoshaybi (as Gabriel Folukoya), and Rhiannon May (as Cara Connelly).
Instead, BBC Studios Executive Producer Suzi McIntosh said, “I could not be more delighted to welcome our fabulous new cast to our Silent Witness family. Both Maggie and Fran bring their talent to our exciting and original new characters, which will help carry our stories brilliantly.”
Silent Witness Season 28 will debut on the BBC in January 2025 and follow on BritBox shortly after. Season 29 is now in pre-production.
